When changing direction during a cut, do not push the workpiece against the side of the blade. Anticipate turning your work before you need to change the curve direction. Straight-Line Sawing Ripping and crosscutting a straight line requires a way to guide your work. Attach a rip fence or clamp a straightedge to the table to rip stock. You will need to adjust the fence for blade drift. Drift simply means that the blade is not cutting parallel to the edge of the table. This is caused by several factors including blade sharpness, tension, density of material being cut, and blade tracking. To adjust for drift, begin cutting your stock without a fence. After several inches, stop the cut, holding the stock in place while shutting off the machine. When the blade comes to a complete stop, adjust the fence in line with the stock. See Figure 23-47A. If your saw has a miter slot, use a miter gauge for cross cuts. See Figure 23-47B. To saw multiple parts to length, attach a miter gauge stop rod or clamp a stop block near the front of the table as you would with a table saw. Ripping Narrow Strips Narrow strips, 1/8″ to 1/2″ (3 mm to 13 mm) wide, are often ripped for laminated wood products or inlaying. Measure the desired dimension from the fence to the blade. It is safer to cut strips with the band saw than with the table or other saw. There will also be less waste because the kerf is narrower. Joint the edge before cutting. With a sharp blade and well-tuned saw, the cut edge should be smooth enough for gluing. U-Shaped Cutting In a U-shaped cut, three sides of an opening are sawn. The edges of the cutout may be straight or curved. There may not be enough room for relief cuts. Several alternatives include: • Saw straight into the cutout on each side. Withdraw the workpiece carefully after each pass. Then cut a curve as small as your blade size allows. Complete the cutout by sawing away any remaining waste. See Figure 23-48A. • Drill two turn-around holes. These provide room in the corners for you to change the workpiece direction without twisting the blade. Clean up the corners with an extra cut or a file. See Figure 23-48B. • If the inside corners of the pocket are curved as part of the design, bore the holes with the proper radius bit. Then saw the waste material away. See Figure 23-48C. Beveling Most band saw tables or heads tilt for bevel saw- ing. For tilting tables, loosen the table tilt lock knob and adjust the angle according to the tilt scale. See Figure 23-49. If there is no tilt scale, set the angle with a T-bevel. For a band saw with a tilting head, loosen the bevel lock knob, turn the handwheel, and adjust Patrick A. Molzahn Figure 23-47. Accessories are needed to saw straight lines. A—Rip fence. B—Miter gauge. A B 394 Section 4 Machining Processes Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.